Meaning of All Things
by Rogue137
Summary: It is a collection of four shorts of Aang and Katara's growing relationship, all interrelated with one another. Rated for some descriptive violence.
1. Water

**Author's Note:** My first Avatar fic! XD Sorry, but I have to do this, no matter how juvenile it is. The format is a little different from most of my other stories, too. I've done dual perspectives before, but never in first-person. However, there might be more Katara POV than Aang, but I'll try to balance it out. Just bear with me if it gets confusing.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, on my honor, or may I be chopped up and made into soup. If I am lying, my only request is that it be minestrone soup. .

_**Chapter One: **_

_**Water**_

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_Aang's POV_

It's amazing how suddenly your skin can change over the course of a year. But not as amazing as the fact that those skin pigments can still work after being in ice for 100 years! Of course, it took a while for them to work properly. A very uncomfortable while. Believe me, red does not go well with blue.

"Aang, hurry up with those vines. We need to get those bags tied to Appa soon or we won't get to the other side of the river before nightfall," the clear, ringing voice of Katara called from the foot of the tree. I pulled my attention from my sun-tanned, callous hands and back to my task.

My feet were balanced precariously, but securely, on the uppermost branch as I tried to untangle the vines we were going to use as rope.

"And we can't use Sokka's rope _because…_?" I said, picking uselessly at a nasty knot in one.

"You heard him," she replied dully. "'_Those cost good money! Besides, we need to save the well-made stuff for fighting and escaping and stuff, right? Right? Of course I'm right._'"

I chuckled. She got her brother's high-pitched, authoritive tone down perfectly.

Crying out in triumph as the last of the wrist-thick plants fell to the ground, I followed them; jumping lightly from branch to branch until I landed on the spongy undergrowth with the grace of one of those street performers in Ba Sing Se.

A good three inches from Katara's face.

I nearly laughed at her wide-eyed shock at my sudden appearance, but stopped mid-way through the thought when I was just as suddenly frozen by her stunningly blue eyes. To cover the abrupt heat rising in my cheeks, I quickly bent down and gathered the vines in my arms.

"Sorry, Katara," I said cheerfully. "Couldn't help myself." Katara just grinned and pushed me playfully.

"Nearly scared me out of my wits, you did!" she scolded mockingly. I said nothing, just shot her a cocky grin.

"Hey! Twinkle Toes! Once you're done with those vines I need you to tell that stupid bison of yours that if he has to go, he should go in the woods…NOT OUR CAMPSITE!"

I winced as Toph stomped into the clearing, her milky eyes fixed fiercely on a spot just over my right shoulder.

"I'll get right on it," I said, trying not to sound like I was smiling. Which I was.

Growling something that sounded curiously like it included "bison piss", Toph made her way back through the trees to our camp by the river. Katara and I shared a knowing look before hurrying after her, both of us highly amused.

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_Katara's POV_

You've got to admit; Aang's a goofy kid. He says and does all these crazy things sometimes, like he's making up for a century's worth of chronic inactivity. In must have been torture for a 12-year-old with his kind of energy. Sokka usually isn't all that amused by it (actually he can't stand it), but I personally think it's, well…cute. Yeah, I said it. Cute. That's the only word for it.

Ever since the whole "Will you go penguin-seal sledding with me?" I knew I would not have a moment's rest with this kid. I mean, come on. You spend 100 years trapped in ice, and_ that_ is the first thing that comes to mind? Penguin-seal sledding? You can't blame me for gaping in dumb confusion.

Maybe it was because of the war, or my mother's death, or Sokka's whole attitude about immaturity (which is really redundant if you think about it), but before I met Aang, I never really opened my eyes to the fun in life. Boy, did my little air-bender friend change that. Take now for instance;

"FLYING BISON BELLY-FLOP BOMB! WAAAHOOO!" Aang whooped as he jumped off of Appa's nose, glided a bit, and dropped into the river with a resounding SLAP. The moment his tattooed head popped out of the water, a torrent of complaints rained down on him from both Sokka and Toph, basically centering on the fact that they were securing the bags and he wasn't. Grinning sheepishly, he climbed out and shook himself dry like a dog, adding a little water-bending to take out the water soaked into his clothes. His chest and stomach were red from the hard contact with the water. I winced when I saw it, but it was obvious he didn't mind the palpable stinging.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said, roughly pulling his shirt over his head. He then bounded up to Appa, pulling the bags up with him easily as he wafted up drafts of air. Once he landed on Appa's back, he went to the task of tying the vines to the bags and the bags to the bison.

As soon as we finished tying the bags, we found we had a good two hours before sundown. The river was five miles wide, and Appa could make it across in no more than 25 minutes. Even so, the Fire Nation was still scouring the areas surrounding Ba Sing Se, obviously looking for Aang, so we had to get going.

Once we landed and untied the bags from Appa, Aang darted back to the river.

"C'mon, Katara! Let's do some water-bending!" Aang crowed as he ripped off his shirt clumsily as he ran eagerly to the riverbed. Two seconds later, a loud SPLASH resounded to our campsite about fifty feet from the river. I quickly followed, laughing as I saw Aang try to stop the current that was pulling at him. It only ended in speeding up the current instead. Giving up, he went underwater and swam to shore.

I was dressed down to my normal swimming wear due to the heat of the day anyway, so I followed Aang's example and ran off of a high bank by the river, diving into the refreshingly ice-cold water. A silvery-scaled fish darted by my left as I gazed through the rushing water.

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_Aang's POV_

Something just happened. I can't place it. It happened the second Katara walked into view. A sudden, uncomfortable tightening crept into my stomach; a different feeling from what I usually felt when I was around her. I could barely stand it.

Then again, it wasn't all _that_ uncomfortable.

The only thing my mind registered was Katara's beautiful figure. Her toned, bare stomach and fluid grace as she walked were all I could think about before she jumped into the river with a shriek of glee. I shook my head to get the image of her out of my head, but to no prevail. It was branded there.

_But why did it affect me so much?_ I wondered, distressed as my eye were locked on Katara, who was still underwater, and swimming towards me.. _I've seen her like that many times before. _

_Well…then again…there was that time on the way to Omashu…_

From that thought of Katara repositioning my Octopus stance, my mind pressed the fast-forward button on my memory. It stopped in a certain cave, a torch between Katara and me. From then my memory went in slow motion. My heart pounded just from my mind's-eye vision of Katara leaning in closer…and closer…

I snapped back to reality when I realized Katara was staring right back at me a few feet away, her eyebrow raised inquisitively. Embarrassment rose to my face, for the second time that day. I had to find a way to distract her before she saw me blushing.

A light bulb went off in my arrow-bedecked head.

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_Katara's POV_

Alright, I won't side-step the issue. I know Aang has a crush on me. It's no secret. He's given me that kind of entranced gaze many times before…although I'll admit, not so intense. But it's all a part of growing up, anyway. I mean, I'm growing up too…

And that is all I have to say on the matter, because I just got dunked.

It was then that I realized that that stare was not a lovey-dovey gaze, but a look of a predator examining his prey. A simple mistake.

Struggling to the surface to take a breath, I stared down Aang, thirsting for revenge. Grinning sadistically, I raised my hands gracefully above my head, allowing a very tall wave tower over Aang…before letting it crash on top of his head. I laughed as he came up sputtering.

"You guys! Stop fooling around! Can we at least make camp before you start acting like five-year-olds?" Sokka said, arms crossed as he glared at the two of us. Still chuckling, I climbed out with Aang tagging along behind me.

"Okay, okay," I said, heading over to my bag that held my towel. The sun was sinking to the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful rainbow of colors. Drying off, I felt someone's eyes burning on me. I could only guess who it was.

Aang was innocently pulling on his shirt when I snatched a glance in his direction. But I knew better. He was staring at me.

Wondering why a feeling of flattered embarrassment came from this knowledge, I pushed the thought away and pulled on my dress before helping the rest of the gang set up camp. Once we were done, we had dinner of fish and some bread and cheese we got from Ba Sing Se. It was a warm night, so we decided to just lie out under the stars in our blankets, the fire out. I was beside Aang, whose brows were furrowed in concentration as he stared at the clear, starry sky.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, looking up as well.

"Constellations in the sky," he replied, his sight still focused on the stars.

"Which ones?"

"Oh…Altair, the Cowherd…and Vega the Weaver," he replied, a strange hesitance in his voice. He hastily added, "And the Big and Little Dipper. Think you can find them?"

The Cowherd and the Weaver…I knew that story. I forced down a blush as I remembered the story.

_A young cowherd named Niulang the star __Altair__ happens across seven fairy sisters bathing in a lake. Encouraged by his mischievous companion the ox, he steals their clothes and waits to see what will happen. The fairy sisters elect the youngest and most beautiful sister Zhinü, the star __Vega__, to retrieve their clothing. She does so, but since Niulang sees her unclothed she must agree to his request for marriage. She proves to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang a good husband, and they are very happy together. _

_But the Goddess of __Heaven__ finds out that a mere __mortal__ has married one of the fairy girls and is furious. The Goddess forces the weaver fairy back to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds in the sky because she could not do her job while married to the mortal. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratches a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the __Milky Way__, which separates Altair and Vega._

_Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar and takes care of their two children_

_But once a year all the __magpies__ in the world take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge over the star __Deneb__ in the __Cygnus constellation__ so the lovers may be together for a single night, the seventh night of the seventh moon._

I pulled out of my reverie, and discovered that today was the seventh night of the seventh moon. I scanned the skies and found the constellations of Altair, Vega, the Milky Way, and the Bridge of Magpies. Tonight Zhinü and Niulang would be allowed to be together once again…

"Which one did you find?" Aang asked softly. With a jolt I realized just how close he was beside me. Trying to clear my throat inconspicuously, I quickly found the Big Dipper and fell into a faux calm as I pointed to the constellation.

"I can never find the Little one," I said, chuckling. I heard Aang shift beside me and he took my hand pointing to the Dipper. Moving it slightly up and a little to the left, he pointed my finger to the North Star.

"You see that? Now follow the line of stars down…" he said, moving my hand as he spoke.

"I see it now!" I exclaimed, smiling as I lowered my hand. "Thanks."

Then I realized he hadn't let go of my hand. I turned slightly to look at him. There was a unfamiliar, yet warm look in his eyes. I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding. The corners of my lips turned up in a small smile as I relaxed. We sat there for what seemed like an eternity…

"APPA! YOU STUPID FLYING MONSTER! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT GOING TO THE BATHROOM IN OUR CAMP???"

Aang winced, letting go of my hand. Smiling wearily, he stood up.

"I better go calm Toph down before Appa gets trapped by a granite cage or something," he said.

"Good luck," I replied wryly.

As he walked away I could still feel the tingle of his touch on my hand.

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**Author's Note:** (evilly) Yes, it's all cute now. Just wait…angst, angst, and more angst is on the way. (laughs evilly)


	2. Fire

**Author's Note: **Lots of angst in this chapter; mostly an overview of what happened during and after Ba Sing Se. Action and even more angst in the third chapter. .

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Avatar. 'Nuff said.

_**Chapter Two:**_

_**Fire**_

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_Katara's POV_

Aang had changed. It was a subtle change. I'm not sure Sokka or Toph recognized it, but I could. He was a little more reclusive and his mind was often elsewhere than the present. One might blame it on the stress of being the Avatar, but I knew better. His behavior became more and more reminiscent of that time we went over the Serpent's Pass. But instead of drawing away from everyone, he has been drawing away from…me.

I don't think why it hurt like it did when he started keeping company with Sokka and Toph instead of me. I know what he must be thinking; after that battle in Ba Sing Se, I don't blame him for drawing away from me. But still, we used to be the best of friends before that nightmare. Memories of a night rose to my mind's eye; before Appa's capture, before the walk across that dreadful desert, before setting foot in that accursed city.

The memory of Aang's gentle touch as the two of us star-gazed under a clear night sky was as strong as ever.

Our connection was always strong, and it seemed to become even stronger as we grew closer to Ba Sing Se. Was it not I who pulled Aang through the desert when he had lost hope? Was it not I who was the only one able to calm Aang out of his violent, grief-induced Avatar state? Then why is he ignoring me?

Troubled with this, I realized I had been staring at Aang, who was keeping an eye on Appa's course. We had just left Ba Sing Se this afternoon, one week after the battle. The wind whipped at my braid as I watched him absent-mindedly stoke Appa's massive head, as if making sure he was still there. I sighed silently, hugging my knees to my chest and willing this tight, bitter feeling in my stomach to go away.

"Aang, we've been flying for five hours," Sokka commented flatly. "Don't you think Appa might need a break? Or maybe even we weary travelers as well?" Seeming to have been shaken out of a reverie, Aang turned around.

"We're heading for a place for the night," Aang replied, his mind obviously still slightly elsewhere. "We should be there soon." As predicted, a little while later Aang gave Appa's reins a slight shake, 'yip'-ing the bison into a descent.

They landed in a small clearing in the woods alongside a cave carved into the mountainside. As the four of them dismounted, Momo swooped off of Appa's back and chased after a bright blue butterfly.

"How'd _you_ know about this place, Twinkle-Toes?" Toph asked, touching the stone of the cave.

"The Earth King told me about it just before we left," he replied, taking a few bags into the cave.

"Why didn't you say anything about it before?" Sokka asked. "We thought you would have us flying all night."

"I…uh…guess I forgot," Aang said, blinking as if surprised he could forget something like that.

"Well, next time could you fill us in with some of your plans?" Toph said dryly, also carrying a couple bags into the cave.

It was definitely roomy. The ceiling itself could not have been any less than thirty feet above their heads. Small stalactites hung from the top of the cave, giving the impression of teeth. Fissures could be seen in the back of the cave; one even seemed big enough for a person to squeeze through. Toph seemed mesmerized, making sure she touched just about every bit of rock she could.

"This is an old cave," she commented, mostly to herself. "There are lots of echoes. Those fissures must lead to other chambers." She reached the largest fissure. "Hey, guys! I think this might be a passage outside!" Aang, Sokka, and I went over to her.

"How do you know?" Sokka asked.

"There's a slight draft of air," she replied. "It can't be from the caves, or bats, 'cuz it's too fresh. It has to be from an outside opening."

Curiosity had obviously gripped Aang, because a childish look of excitement came upon his face as he went to get one of those long-lasting torches. Sparking one, he headed into the fissure.

"Let's go see, then!" he said.

"Aang, it could be dangerous," I warned, reaching to grab his arm. My stomach clenched in distress when he flinched away from my touch.

"Katara's right," Toph said. "That passage could be extremely unstable. One vibration could cause a cave-in." Face falling with disappointment, Aang sighed and extinguished the torch.

"Alright," he said. "I guess you're right."

For the next hour we set up camp inside the cave, lighting a fire, spreading out the sleeping bags, and making dinner. By the time we were done the sun was still up, although it was now sinking halfway into the horizon. I decided to go get some air and walk around to clear my head. Now that we were traveling again, things seemed to take on a sort of familiar rhythm.

Everything seemed to be right. Except for me and Aang.

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_Aang POV_

I turned thirteen the day of the battle in Ba Sing Se. Having Appa probably calmed me better than it would have without him, but I still had this pent up rage, now that Jet was dead. Murdered. Murdered by that lowly piece of slime, Long Feng.

The six of us flew back to the city, determined now to get to the Earth king before Feng did. We headed to the Capitol building, finding a place for Appa and Momo to hide. I hated to leave Appa so soon after finding him again, but we couldn't get into the palace quietly with a bison with us.

However, the trouble was we didn't know where in the Capitol building he would be. We decided to split up; Katara with me, Toph with Sokka. We thought that Toph might be able to keep Sokka on his toes, at least. We had a small laugh at his expense then, just before we split up.

Katara and I headed toward the East Wing, going up since it would be more likely that Long Feng had kept the king in some tower room isolated from the rest of the building. We checked a few empty rooms before being confronted by a few Dai Li guards. We were able to overcome them easily before quickly moving on.

"Aang, I think I hear talking in this room," Katara whispered, motioning to the door she had her ear on. We were now at the farthest point in the Wing. If the king was anywhere, he would probably be in there, I decided.

Of course, the door was locked when we tried it. So we had to do it the less civilized way; breaking and entering.

To our most unpleasant surprise, the king was not there. No, instead there, standing by a wooden table by the fireplace were three Dai Li soldiers. And Long Feng.

"Well, look who's here," the sneering Dai Li operator said. "Funny, I thought that perhaps you would be a little quicker in getting to the Earth king. Although I really don't know what you would want with him. He's been taking frequent vacations to Lake Laogai." Chuckling, he sinuously walked toward us, his minions following close behind. Katara and I simultaneously got into a fighting stance.

"Where is the Earth king?" I demanded.

"I don't think you need to receive that kind of information," he replied in his low, grumbling voice, a smirk playing on his lips. "You have your bison now, don't you? Leave, and you nor any of your friends will get hurt."

"Hurt?!" I snapped, finally losing my patience. "What about Jet? What about him you piece of rotting-"

"I've had enough of this," Long Feng said, looking bored. He turned to his Dai Li soldiers. "Kill them. And after you do, find and kill the other two. They're probably in the West Wing."

The soldiers didn't wait; they attacked us almost before we had time to defend ourselves. The rock in the walls, their rock hands, anything was used as weapons against us. Katara was able to knock out one of the three soldiers, leaving only two left, each of us fighting one.

I completely forgot Long Feng had not left the room. He probably was hovering in the shadows, watching as we seemed to be no match for his soldiers. I didn't notice Feng until I had successfully defeated my opponent, using his own rock fist against him. Feng was approaching Katara with a sardonic grin. She hadn't seen him; she was too busy throwing off the other Dai Li agent with her Water skills. Long Feng raised his hands above his head. My gaze shot up to the ceiling. Hairline cracks formed a square in the rock just above Katara's head.

I saw his eyes mirroring his intent on the water-bender's life.

Rage, revenge, and a protective primal instinct rose in my blood. The sudden vision of the rock slamming Jet back, Feng's obvious indifference…not again. I can't lose another friend. Not Katara. Not her. Another memory came to my mind's eye; her beautiful blue eyes staring out into the heavens, my hand guiding hers across the sky.

Everything I saw suddenly took on a blue, supernatural haze that signaled my going into the Avatar state. I didn't try to stop it. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, like a nightmare. Just before the huge rock hit Katara, I stopped it and threw it violently so that it shattered into the opposite end of the room. The entire building seemed to shudder from the power of it.

A huge force built up in me, and I released it upon the murderous Long Feng. A blast of air threw him up and smashed him into a wall. Obviously dazed and sore, he stumbled upright, trying to counterattack. But he had no time before I was ready for my next, and last, blow.

I raised my hands over my head, my glowing eyes showing nothing, feeling nothing but raw anger and vengeance. My stance was not unlike the one Long Feng when he was about to kill Katara.

With a cry of vengeance, I did something I swore I would never do again; I unleashed an inferno of flame. I allowed them to flow from my glowing hands, encasing him in a tomb of fire.

I heard his screams.

I smelled his burning, blistering flesh.

I heard his pleading, his cried for mercy.

But I didn't stop.

I.

Felt.

Nothing.

Finally, his screams subsided, and a charred corpse was all that was left. The room suddenly went silent.

But the Avatar was not finished yet.

The man that was fighting Katara suddenly flew at me, rocks like knives in his hands. Through that blue haze I saw the horror in his eyes fade into vengeance for his fallen master.

I killed him in the same fashion as Long Feng.

Faintly I heard Katara calling my name as I watched the smoke rise above the body. A part of me was trying to pull away, to get out of this murderous Avatar state, but I couldn't. I was totally engulfed, like my victims had been engulfed by my flame. But eventually I was able to calm down enough for the bloodlust to leave me. I collapsed on the floor, horrified and sickened of what I had just done. I stared at my hands, the hands that had delivered such a violent end to two human beings.

I'm a murderer.

I'm a _murderer_.

I couldn't remember much of the rest of the day's events, except for the finding of the king and returning his memory. After that, I tried to stay away from people as much as possible, especially Katara.

Katara.

She saw me kill them. And I saw the horrified look on her face when I finished the terrible deed. That look she gave me has been burned into my mind forever. How she must be disgusted by me! She must think me evil, corrupt now. I can't bear to talk to her anymore, to even look in her eyes. I'm afraid to see the friendliness and the…love in her eyes replaced by hate and fear.

What have I done?

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**Author's Note: **Merrrr….done! Hopefully Chapter 3 will be up next week. I'm in the school play "Arsenic and Old Lace" and this week is hell week, so I won't be getting home until 9 all week because I have 4 performances up until Saturday.

REVIEW!


	3. Earth

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for reviewing, guys! I feel so loved! I'm in Tennessee for Thanksgiving, so I'll be working on holiday homework and the final chapter of this story. XD Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** (holds machine gun Rambo-style) Let's do this. (shoots at lawyers Matrix-style, but lawyers have some sort of force field around them) Damn! (tries to run, but lawyers swarm and angrily start throwing copyright contracts at her) AHHH! IT BURNS! Alright, alright! I don't own Avatar!!! All I own is the plot and stuff! TAKE THE COPYRIGHHT AWAY, DAMMIT!

_**Chapter Three:**_

**Earth**

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_Aang POV_

I'm sitting here, in the branches of a tree by the cave, looking at the mouth of it. I could see the glow of the fire within. It seemed evil now, treacherous. Just like that time when I first learned how to fire-bend, right after I had burned Katara. That was an accident, though. That use of bending in Ba Sing Se wasn't.

I sighed, feeling hopeless and cursing my very existence when a rustle of leaves signaled someone had just scaled the tree and was right behind me.

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_Katara POV_

"Aang, it's okay. It's just me," I said cautiously. I could see the muscles in his jaw tighten when he lowered his hands that had been raised in defense.

"Sorry, Katara," he said, looking at his hands in his lap.

"It's okay, I should have warned you I was coming up instead of surprising you like that," I apologized, trying to keep my tone light-hearted. Aang just sighed. Biting my lip, I finally decided to not beat around the bush. "Listen, I want to know exactly why you have been ignoring me for the past week." Aang said nothing. "Aang. Talk to me. Please."

"I'm sorry, Katara," he said, a strange regret in his tone. Jumping off the branch and landing smoothly on the ground, he headed toward the cave, leaving me wanting to scream in frustration at his callousness. Tears formed in my eyes as I buried my face in my hands, my face screwed up in anger and helplessness. _Why won't he let me in?_

Finally the emotion subsided, leaving me feeling drained. Sighing, I made my way down the tree and back to the cave as well. It was mostly quiet; save for the momentary gurgling chitters of Momo. Aang still wasn't even looking at me.

It was just before we decided to catch some shut-eye when they came.

There were eight of them. Starving, pathetic-looking people. But all had this hungry, animalistic fire in their eyes and weapons in their hands. Obviously they saw the light from our fire, maybe even smelt the cooking fish we had caught in the creek over it. They began to circle us, slowly pushing us out of the cave.

"Leave all your things behind, and no one gets hurt," hissed the leader of the pack. These people were clearly desperate, so I cautiously spoke.

"We'll give all of you food, sir, if you leave us alone," I said slowly. "We have enough for-"

"Shut up, girl," the leader snapped, brandishing the cruelly sharp knife he had in his hand. "We don't want your pitiful offering. Everything you have can sustain _us_ for quite a while. Step outside or we'll have to make you."

Two of the member of the thieves walked up and slammed their feet simultaneously on the ground, creating a rift in the middle of the cave and making us stumble the last few feet into the open woods. The two Earth-benders then cackled sadistically before getting into a fighting stance. No one moved.

"Very well," the leader sneered. Turning to his gang, he motioned them forward. Out of instinct, it seemed, the four of us got ready for the attack. I drew a long rope of water from the pouch at my side, my eyes narrowed at the two men advancing on me. Snapping it like a whip, I startled the mangy, half-starved men, but it didn't stop them. I then grimly sent shards of ice at the throwing knife one of them aimed at me. One of the larger shards knocked it out of the air before it reached me.

I kind of blocked out what everyone else was doing, but I guessed the other three were fighting two at a time as well.

A pained cry from behind me made me turn. It was Toph. One of the Earth benders had cut her arm badly with a sharpened rock. Her blood dripped freely from the wound as she gritted her teeth and kept fighting. I wanted to go over and heal her, but I had my hands full with the two goons in front of me. It was so strange; I felt so sorry for these exiles, these malnourished people, but it was obvious that they wouldn't shy from killing someone for some food.

Another cry rang through the wooded area; but this time it was not human. As I wrestled out of the grasp of the smaller of the two, I caught a glimpse of Appa being backed into a corner made by the rock of the mountain. A blue-clothed form that lay still by the base of a tree caught my attention. My heart skipped a beat. It was Sokka. The two men that had been fighting him were now brandishing long, rusty swords at the huge bison; one was the leader.

"What a pretty prize, eh, Shinto?" the leader sneered.

"Yeah, this one will sell for hundreds on the black market!" the other said gleefully. Appa bellowed in distress, and stomped his huge feet, desperate to escape the sharp swords pricking his sides as he backed into a corner.

"_NO!_" a shout resounded frighteningly throughout the forest, startling a few birds out of the trees. It felt that the people in the vicinity could not only hear it with their ears, but it erupted in their minds, vibrating throughout their entire body; freezing them with fear of an awful power. My head whipped toward the source of the cry, already knowing who had said it.

Just as I saw him, Aang had knocked the last of his two assailants out with a good sized rock. His eyes and arrows were already starting to glow as his face twisted into a furious snarl. Aang threw himself at Shinto, who was closest to Appa and took the man's head in both his hands. The sword had been knocked out of Shinto's hand with a sharp gust of wind.

With a sickening _crack_, Aang snapped the man's neck with the kind of effort one might break a toothpick. The crack echoed ominously throughout the suddenly silent forest.

Without even breaking his momentum, Aang sprang and faced the leader, who was cowering before the Avatar, sword raised, but trembling violently. With only an expression of terrible rage, Aang raised his hand in his direction.

"Aang, _no!_" I cried, sprinting toward the portentous scene. The air was tingling with the power Aang was about to release. In desperation, I sent as strong a wave of water as I could muster crashing into my friend. Caught off-guard, Aang was sent sprawling to the ground. The leader of the would-be bandits, taking advantage to escape, ran to the trees and left his stunned cohorts behind. But it wasn't he I was concerned with now.

It was the furious Avatar slowly getting to his feet and facing me, the water I sent at him swirling menacingly.

"Aang…?" I said cautiously.

The Avatar said nothing, but the swirling water was growing into a vortex. He was adding water from the river that twisted down the mountain. I began to panic. He couldn't hear me. The other bandits had finally run off in fear.

"Aang, stop it! You're scaring me," I blurted as I backed away, a sick feeling coming to my stomach. Bits of earth, sticks, and rock were being added to the violently swirling water now. Aang was advancing towards _me._ "I couldn't let you kill anyone else! Aang, please…can't you recognize me? It's me, Kat-"

My words were cut off by a tremendous blow of the cyclone. My breath was knocked out of me, and I felt a few ribs crack. Pain erupted in my chest, and I couldn't breathe; the water had engulfed me. I fell on my elbows, feeling the pain of them being scraped on the rough ground. The rocks and sticks whipping around in the water cut my face and arms.

I fought to raise my hands to cover my face, as well as summon my Water-bending to stop the relentless attack. I didn't know if I could go against the Avatar, but I knew I had to try. The thought of a rock smashing my head and drowning in the swirling water…

But even as this horrifying thought came to me, the water dropped. I took an instinctive, gasping breath, and was instantly punished by the white-hot knives of pain searing through my chest. The breath came out in an agonized cry. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe without tremendous pain unless I took short, shallow breaths, and I could feel a warm liquid streaming down my arms and face; my blood.

But through the pain, I could see Aang running to me, kneeling by my side. I don't know why, but I flinched away from him when he reached out to touch me. The action brought instant hurt and self-loathing to his eyes.

OoOoOoOoO

_Aang POV_

"Katara…" I whispered, my voice cracking. My hands moved, wanting to touch her face, but I forced them down. God, what have I done?

My eyes, as if moving on their own accord, took in her scraped and bruised arms and face; the obvious pain from every breath she took. I did this to her. I couldn't control myself and I hurt her in return.

I hated myself. I hated being the Avatar. The Avatar was a monster, hurting those I loved. I could have _killed_ her!

Then my eyes moved to the still body of one of the robbers that lay about twenty feet away. I had killed _him_. Only my love for Katara had stopped me from crossing _that_ threshold before it was too late. And it almost had been.

"Aang," Katara breathed. "You're going…to have to help me…lift up my shirt. I cracked a few ribs and…I need to heal them." My heart was ripping to shreds just hearing the dull agony in her voice. I hesitated, reluctant to touch her with these cursed hands, but I slowly lifted her shirt so that her abdomen and upper ribs were exposed. The skin was already beginning to bruise badly. I flinched when I heard her hiss with pain.

"I'm sorry," I said, eyes down as I backed away and respectively turned around.

"It's okay," she said softly as she Water-bended a ribbon of water to her hands, letting them glow a gentle blue. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Toph slowly walk over, not speaking. She passed me and went over to Katara. I heard the two begin to whisper and decided to help rouse Sokka, who was still knocked out by the tree. Appa had run into the cave.

_Probably when he saw I had lost control, _I thought sadly as I crouched next to Sokka. He was already stirring, but it took a little coaxing to get him to sit up.

"Are those robbers gone? Did they steal our stuff?" he asked, rubbing his head where the leader had hit him.

"No, they're gone," I said in a monotone. Sokka glanced behind me to where Toph and Katara were. I held my breath.

"Katara!" he cried, getting up and running over to her. My muscles were taut, ready to run when Sokka came at me with a brotherly thirst for revenge. The anger in his eyes like when I had accidentally burned Katara swim in my mind's eye, but now that look would be turned into hate, I knew it.

But the moment didn't come. I heard the now-healed Katara assuring him that the Earth-benders who had hurt her were long gone, chased off by my 'protective instincts'. She even laughed! As if my Avatar state was harmless to all but who threatened my friends. I sat there in shock, shock that even after I almost killed her she didn't want her brother to chase me away, like she knew he would if she told him.

But part of me wanted to be chased away. I couldn't live being a constant threat to the people around me. Even if I could save the world, what use is it if in the process I hurt my friends?

"Aang, let's get some sleep, huh?" Sokka said, patting my shoulder. I almost jumped; I hadn't noticed him walk up to me.

"Yeah…I'll take the first watch," I said absently. Suddenly I remembered something. My eyes flicked to the place where the body of the robber laid.

It was gone.

Trying to keep calm in front of Sokka, I stood up and followed him back to the cave. Like after the tree conversation, I avoided looking at Katara as we got ready for bed. I just sat at the mouth of the cave, my back to the rest of my friends, my staff resting across my lap. I couldn't bear to talk to her now.

_Aang, stop it! You're scaring me…_

_You're scaring me_; I couldn't get her frightened voice out of my head. I hadn't stopped. It was like that day in Ba Sing Se; I couldn't stop.

Not even for her.

I sat in silence for hours, feeling empty of all emotion except self-loathing. Usually by now I would wake someone else to keep watch, but I couldn't get myself to move.

"Aang?"

A chill went down my spine. It was Katara.

"May I sit with you?" she asked softly. I couldn't say anything. I could barely breathe, let alone talk. I only nodded. She sat down beside me and pulled her knees to her chest. My gaze fell on her cut and bruised face. A knife of self-disgust tore through my stomach. I looked away. We were both silent for a good while.

"What happened to the body?" I asked softly, staring outside, not wanting to look at her. I couldn't look at her without wanting to inflict on myself the same wounds I had inflicted upon her.

"Toph buried him," Katara replied. She paused. "I don't want Sokka to know what happened."

"I know," I said, my voice barely a whisper. _I don't deserve her company. I don't deserve any of this unjustified mercy. _

Another long silence.

"Aang, I don't blame you for what happened," Katara said, cutting through the quiet. "I know you can't control the Avatar state when it's-"

"But I should have," I said in a low, spiteful tone. "I should have controlled it. Before I killed Long Feng, before I killed his henchman, before I killed that man, before I almost..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. I gritted my teeth in anger and helplessness. "The point is; I'm dangerous to you, to all of you; friends and enemies alike. I can't go on like this Katara. I don't want to do this anymore."

So many things were unsaid between us, so many unexplainable emotions. Katara sat for maybe another silent minute or so before heading back to her cot. But before she did, she laid a warm hand on mine. The touch stayed even as she left. Tears were forming in my eyes; my chest was tight with emotion. At some point in the night Momo walked up to me, chittering softly, and curled up on my lap.

_At least someone isn't afraid to stay near me, _I thought, absently stroking his soft fur as the sun began to rise to the cold morning.

OoOoOoOoO

**Author's note:** Sorry for the long wait, everyone! I know, more angst, but I have one more chapter to go. Wow. This is the closest to finishing a story than I have been in a long time. XD

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! (takes out cage of nice, fat turkeys for reviewers)

Turkeys: (run for their lives)

Me: COME BACK HERE! (chases turkeys with plastic cornucopia)


	4. Air

**Author's Note**: Again, late update. XP Sorry guys. It's been a really tough month. I just moved overseas, and I had to leave the most important person in my life doing so. We're both going to be okay, but this Christmas was a bit difficult. XP I'll stop the RPM-angst and get back to the Kataang-angst now. .'' **_THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!_** Wow. This is only the 2nd chapter-fanfic I've finished out of…what? 76? XD

**Disclaimer: **-.- Yeah, yeah. I don't own 'im. This is the last chapter, anyway. You can relax…And you can take away those copyright-violated-thingy-ma-jiggers now. (glares at lawyers)

**_Chapter Four:_**

**Air**

OoOoOoOoO

_Aang POV_

There was a smoldering, open sore on my heart. And whenever I looked at her, it was like pouring vinegar onto it.

It has been exactly twenty-four hours since the robbers came to our camp, and exactly twelve hours since we set out on Appa.

We decided to leave the cave as soon as light came in case the robbers chose to bring back a larger band of their brethren to bother us. Katara kept her distance from me. I didn't expect any more from her, but it hurt me still. I've seen her look at me with what looked like sympathy and understanding. Why? How can she possibly bare to look at me? She says that she doesn't hold me against what I've done. Why? How can she possibly forgive me so easily?

It has been exactly three hours since I decided to leave my friends, my family, and save the world on my own, and exactly three hours since we landed in a small clearing in the dense forest; the perfect time for me to do so.

…

…

…

Then why haven't I left?

…

…

…

Because of what happened exactly two hours ago.

OoOoOoOoO

_Katara's POV_

I sat, my legs crossed, on Appa's back. Sokka had suggested a while ago that we start looking for a place to sleep. As expected, Aang had been silent for the entire flight. Sokka, oblivious to what exactly happened the night before, took it as his being angry that the robbers tried to capture Appa again. Toph and I were the only ones, other than Aang, of course, that knew. We girls agreed that it would be best if Sokka didn't hear the whole story.

I can't stand his silence. What if he decides to up and leave so that he won't be a danger to us? That sounds like something that he would think after an incident like that. I had dreaded that he would try it before we woke up in the morning; that's why I had to talk to him, explain to him that I didn't blame him for what happened. I hoped against all hope that he would believe me and stay. I cannot describe the relief I felt when I saw him quietly making the breakfast fire when I woke at dawn.

I twirled a piece of my hair that had wriggled loose from my braid around my finger. Why couldn't Aang accept that _I_ have already accepted that there were risks involved with hanging around the Avatar?

I sighed. I already knew the answer to that question.

Of course, I hated when he was in the Avatar state. It both scared and disgusted me. It disgusted more than scared me, though, because when Aang goes into the Avatar state, he isn't himself. He isn't my funny, smart, wonderful friend anymore. He becomes something not human, something with no hopes, fears, emotion…Something that can't distinguish friend from foe. Something that didn't care if it hurt me. I can't stand him like that. It's like a looming dark cloud above his head; it is such a burden to him. His shoulders are strong, but that kind of weight is unfair to anyone to bear.

I know Aang will be able to save the world. He has the right heart for it. He is a good person; empathetic. He hates to harm anyone, but he has a strong sense of justice. But I've been wondering…does he really need his Avatar state to save us? He's a powerful Bender, already a master of water and air, and will soon be an extremely impressive Earthbender. Fire…well, he just needs to learn how to control that kind of Bending. Being so apt in all Bending is enough to influence most people, so what is the point of taking away his humanity in the process?

_Gah, what am I thinking?_ I scolded to myself. _There will always be a Waterbender, an Airbender, an Earthbender, and a Firebender that will be more powerful than he. And even if he was the best Bender in the world, he wouldn't be a match to an army. Only in the Avatar state does he have that kind of strength._

But…every time he goes into the Avatar state, I get this horrible feeling. A fear that makes me sick to my stomach:

What if he never comes out of it?

Finally we found a small clearing in the middle of the dense forest. The sun was just starting to go down. Appa was able to land easily among the lush trees. Grunting, he kneeled down to let everyone down. Aang quickly grabbed the bags and glided to the ground, still saying nothing. I swore underneath my breath as I jumped down. _I'm fine!_ I wanted to scream at him. _I was able to heal myself! No lasting damage, see? STOP BEING SO DEPRESSED!_

But instead I ran up and grabbed two of the bags from Aang's hand, barely brushing his skin with my fingertips. When his head jerked up and his eyes met mine for the first time since last night, I let a gentle, warm smile soften my expression. I heard his breath catch, and he looked away. The moment was barely half a second long, but it was enough to nearly rip my heartstrings.

I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I tensed and looked over my shoulder to see Toph, staring just above my head.

"Just keep an eye on him," she said with a bleak smirk. "He'll come around eventually."

My shoulders slumped and I looked after Aang, who was already mechanically setting up camp with Sokka.

"I know his hates himself for hurting me, and I know I can't do anything about it," I said mournfully. "And I don't know if he can forgive himself. He's always been hard on himself. I just wish I could help him…" Toph said nothing else, only giving a half-hearted smile and sympathetically squeezing my shoulder before walking off to help set up camp. I opened one of the bags I was carrying and saw it as the one with Toph's old clothes from Ba Sing Se. A strange notion came in to my head. Closing it, I squared my shoulders and walked purposely into camp with a new strategy bubbling in mind.

"I'll start the fire tonight, guys," I said, dropping off the bag of iron pots and pans right in front of Aang with a resounding _clash._ I saw him jump and look at me with confusion. "Toph, can you help me get some wood?" I then flashed Aang a sadistic smirk and walked off into the forest with Toph, the other bag in my hand.

No more Miss Sympathy Girl.

OoOoOoOoO

_Aang's POV_

I had it all planned in my head. Sokka was taking last guard-shift tonight, and he always slept on duty. I would pack up enough to get along on my own, but not enough in inconvenience my friends. I could survive a hundred years alone. I could do it again if I had to.

I kept my distance from Katara and the rest of the group. I didn't even pet Momo when he dropped a fruit into my lap this morning. He looked very put-out, but I couldn't help it. It was like my soul was somewhere else, disappeared. I had to get out of there. I couldn't bear to hurt another friend. So I decided, as we flew of the trees, that I would leave. Tonight.

There was only one problem.

Katara seemed to be reading my thoughts. Maybe I was being too paranoid, but I have this feeling that she knows I'm going to run away. I just hope she doesn't guess it'll be tonight. I don't think I could handle her trying to stop me in the middle of the night. She keeps giving me these heartbreakingly sweet and sympathetic looks, even from the distance she kept. I can't stand it. Why did she have to be so…so…forgiving?

I swore underneath my breath when I jumped down off of Appa once we landed, taking nearly all the bags with me without thinking. The next thing I knew, a soft hand was taking two of the bags out of mine. I instinctively looked up into Katara's eyes. Have I ever told you about Katara's eyes? They changed color, from bright sky blue, to the smokiest grey, to a deep, passionate sapphire. Right now they were a dull azure, and filled with compassion, and the slightest bit of heartache. It felt like two iron hands had taken hold of my throat and heart, constricting both simultaneously. I looked away, not able to face her with tears forming in my eyes. Both her touch and her look was enough to convince me that this was for the best. I had to leave.

I love Katara too much.

As I miserably helped Sokka pitch the tents, I forced my mind into a meditative blank. At least then I could concentrate on what I was doing and not Katara. Sokka, unfortunately, caught the gloom in my face and decided to give a few comforting words.

"You know, Appa is a great flying bison. Best I've ever met, in fact," he said solemnly. "You're lucky you have him. He cares a lot about you, and of course you care a lot about him. It's not your fault that he was hurt. There were a lot of robbers; you had no control over it."

"You're right," I said, trying to keep my expression neutral. "I had no control."

"I knew you would understand," Sokka said cheerfully. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you know?" I shrugged, continuing the process of nailing in stakes into the ground for the tents.

I looked over my shoulder, just to see where Katara was. She was talking with Toph. I gritted my teeth. I knew that Toph knew what happened. What were they talking about? Me, no doubt.

_What is so secret between them that they decide not to share it with me?_ I wondered. _What opinion of theirs is too much for me to hear?_

"Girls," Sokka unknowingly sympathized. "They think the company of men os below them." I didn't bother to correct him.

Curse the stars, the sun, and the moon. Why won't this sour feeling in my stomach go AWAY? I want to rip my hair out, I'm so frustrated!!!

…

Oh. Right.

But as I grumbled to myself, I didn't notice Katara walking up to me. I did notice, however, when she dropped the bag of metal cooking supplies right in front of me with a deafening CRASH. Startled, and a little scared, I looked up at her.

"What---?"

"I'll start the fire tonight, guys," she said briskly, a strange fire in her eyes, which had turned a bright blue-green. She turned sharply towards Toph, who was feeding Appa and Momo. "Toph, can you help me get some wood?" She turned back to me and gave me what looked like an evil grin.

Toph looked almost as confused as I probably was as she followed Katara into the woods. Sokka and I exchanged a look.

"What's gotten into her?" Sokka asked, one eyebrow rising as he continued setting up his tent; with difficulty. I just shrugged and kept setting up camp.

After about twenty minutes, the two of us were beginning to get worried.

"How long does it take to gather firewood?" I muttered anxiously, a thousand frightening scenarios passing through my mind's eye. Sokka assured me that they were probably fooling around, or they had gotten into an argument of epic proportions about twigs. I sighed in reluctant agreement, standing to attend Appa, who wasn't fed completely by Toph.

Nevertheless, I was concerned. It didn't take 20 minutes to gather firewood! I mean, 10 minutes, maybe, if you can't find good, dry specimens, but nearly half an hour of—

…

(Is mentally choking)

…

(Finally gains control)

…

If my eyes buggered out any further, they would have fallen out.

Katara, my friend, my crush, essentially the girl I loved, just froze my entire body and set it on fire in about the same time. Walking out of the woods with Toph, she turned to face me.

She was…gorgeous. Her body was draped in a fire-red silk (somewhere in my mind I remembered the market in Omashu), each curve emphasized by the way the cloth clung to her form. Her dark, lean legs were exposed to mid-thigh by slits along the sides of the dress. The sleeves drooped to expose her shoulders. The heart-shaped neckline delicately dropped to…

…

WHEN THE HELL DID SHE GROW _THOSE_?

Jerking my eyes away from her…er…chest, I looked at her face. I could feel my whole body burning. Her hair was loose, pinned a little so that wisps of it framed her face invitingly. Her eyes were darkly outlined with kohl and her lips painted a vibrant red. Her eyes were sparking.

"Katara…?" Sokka started, standing up abruptly. Toph, who had been smirking mysteriously behind Katara, ran to Sokka and pulled him towards the woods.

"I'll explain," she muttered into his ear as she dragged him out of sight.

We were alone.

My mind exploded in panic as Katara moved toward me in a frighteningly un-Katara-like way. Her hips swayed hypnotically, gracefully, as if she were a jungle cat stalking its prey. She stopped right in front of me, leaning dangerously close. I was only an inch or two shorter than her, but it felt like she was equal to my eyes.

To my lips.

My collar was becoming uncomfortably constricting…as were my pants.

"Katara, what are you doing?" I finally choked out.

She said nothing, only placing a soft hand on my lips to silence me. It then moved to my cheek, gently caressing it. She had frozen me with her eyes, which had turned a deep, dark blue. A strange emotion was hidden deep in those eyes. My breath was coming short and fast, but I could move away from her smoldering presence. Both her hands were moving from my neck down to my chest, then to my arms. Taking my hand, she brought it to her lips, and kissed it. It burned into my skin.

She obviously knew what she was doing, even though I didn't.

Was this my Katara?

For some reason, although this whole thing; the way she was dressed, the way she moved, the way she touched my face, was so unfamiliar, and more than a tad frightening, it seemed that it was just another part of her. She wasn't another person, and yet she was.

Suddenly, she backed away, her eyes indescribably hard. Cold fear washed over me. What did I do?

"I'm done with this," she hissed, her eyes never leaving mine. "I'm done with acting like I pity you. Because I don't. Not anymore. You're not leaving. I love you, Aang. And Avatar or not, there's nothing you can do about it."

And with that, she grabbed me by the shoulders, and with a strength that took me off-guard, she pressed me into her, lips first. A startled 'oomph' was all I could say as she caught my mouth in hers.

OoOoOoOoO

_Katara's POV_

A triumphant noise resounded in my mind when I felt Aang beginning to kiss back. I had one motive in my mind, and it wasn't going to be soft. As soon as I felt Aang responding to my lips, I dove deeper, more passionately. He willingly acquiesced. Strange, I remembered him being shorter when we kissed in that cave in Omashu. Of course, he had gained a good foot of height from that time, not to mention this time it was a LOT more involved.

One hand vehemently pulling his neck down, the other found the small of his back. I pressed closer to Aang. A need, both physical and mental, rang throughout my being. I clung to him like a drowning person to a log.

I felt like I could cry with unspoken emotion when Aang wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me even more into him. His lips felt soft on mine at first, gentle, as if he was afraid to break me. But as I encouraged him to let out his feelings, his passion matched mine. I felt my soul soaring with his as we kissed.

He won't leave me.

Finally we parted. My hands moved down from his neck, so that they lightly held onto his upper arms. I saw him swallow uneasily, the conflicting emotions obvious in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Katara," he said in a whisper cracked with emotion. Abruptly his eyes filled with tears. "I…I can't believe I hurt you. I can't believe I'd leave you, either." His jaw clenched; he was obviously holding back tears. My chest tight with compassion, I took him into my arms again and held him as he sobbed, his tears cleansing all the hurt, the grief, the anger in his spirit.

Aang was a fragile person. He was never naïve, only innocent. The cruel, twisted world made him like this, Destiny sending him in the middle of it, expecting him to fix things. It was unfair, it was cruel. I knew he had the strength to save the world, but I can't let him do it without me.

In that moment, I could feel Aang. Just him. Not the connections with the world, spirit or mortal; just a boy who had stolen my heart and had given his in return. It was both strange and comforting.

OoOoOoOoO

_Aang's POV_

In the place where time didn't exist, I could feel Katara. I didn't just feel her holding my body, but I felt her holding my heart, protecting it. Somewhere, at some point, I felt the Avatar, all my past lives, silently and respectfully leave me. I knew they would be back, but now it was just me. Me and Katara. Now I was myself, not the Avatar, or even a mixture of both. It was then that I found my identity.

Aang was a separate person from the Avatar. He was a thirteen-year-old with hopes and dreams, and love. Aang was no one, however, without his Katara.

In that span of time, I wondered if any other of my past lives realized that.

And, for some reason, I knew the answer was no.

The moment slowly drifted away, leading us both gently back to reality. I let out a breath and carefully pulled away from Katara. Looking into her eyes, the strange emotion suddenly became identifiable. I found myself, my heart, reflected in Katara's beautiful, clear eyes.

And my soul soared.

I won't leave her.

OoOoOoOoO

**Author's Note: **I'm DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!! (does happy dance) Finally!!!!!!! Wow. I'm done. I'm so happy! XD

I want to thank all ye faithful reviewers, but there is that one person I want to specifically thank. That one person who inspired me, who allowed me to understand what love was; who made my heart soar and allowed me to finally find _my_ identity.

Dylan, this one was for you.


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